Movie Night
by mizutani asuna
Summary: Reyna, Thalia, and Annabeth get together to watch movies. Reyna reflects on how the Giant War brought these two nutjobs into her life. AU. Femslash. Slightly anti-Jasper, be warned, but no bashing of them.


**A/N:** I'll be the first to admit this isn't very good (my titles suck), but I tried. Critique is welcome.

**Explanations:** This is AU. Herein, Thalia did not join the Hunters. Takes place post-Giant War.

**Warnings:** Femslash. Don't like, don't read. Rated T for mentions of sex. I don't consider it explicit enough to warrant a higher rating.

* * *

**Movie Night**

The two girls lay in bed, fingers entwined.

The first thing either noticed upon waking was the mess of clothes littering the floor. They looked to each other and started laughing.

"I'm going to take a shower," Thalia said, crossing to the opposite side of the room. "Do me a favor. Clean this up before Annabeth gets here, and tell her I helped."

Reyna laughed.

It was a staple of the girls' evenings together that every time Annabeth came over, expecting to sit down on the couch and watch a movie or two, she would instead spend the first fifteen minutes cleaning up after them, loudly demanding of thin air whether the two of them had had sex last night, or an orgy. Annabeth was... not _quite_ a neat-freak, but she came close, preferring everything to be orderly; this stood in great contrast to her two best friends, whom, in Annabeth's opinion, were bigger slobs than every boy she knew _combined_.

Thalia liked to joke that she was just jealous she wasn't invited. Annabeth would then roll her eyes and make some comment in which she reminded everyone that she was straight, and then mutter underbreath something about Thalia being like Percy, and wouldn't it be nice to have an ordinary girls' night for once. Reyna and Thalia would smirk at each other, and Annabeth would concede futility, and then the lights would be flicked off, the opening credits would roll, and the smell of burnt popcorn would fill the room as they all sat down to watch whatever-it-was-this-week.

Reyna stood at her open closet door, surveying her options briefly, not even bothering to tug on some underclothes in the meantime. She didn't care much for conscious efforts to look nice; years as leader of the Roman military caused her to view that as a gambit for attention, and as she and Thalia were already dating, there was no point. If Reyna suddenly started to care for her appearance, Thalia might think she was planning to dump her, maybe cheating already. Not that Reyna ever would, but Thalia was the distrusting type, and it wasn't like Reyna couldn't understand _that_. What had happened between her and Luke wasn't so different from what had happened between Reyna and Jason. If the two of them ever did split, Reyna hoped they'd end up on better terms than they had with the boys.

Sometimes, Reyna wished Juno had taken her memories of the whole stupid war. She didn't seem to have had any issues with taking Jason's away back then.

x-x

It wasn't that she'd liked Jason, or that she was upset he'd gotten a girlfriend while with the Greeks. Good for him, but whatever. It was the way Piper had_ looked_ at her, when they'd met outside the Pomerian Line. Like she was something disgusting. And Reyna just _knew_. Jason had blown her secret to a _total stranger_. She couldn't _believe_ him. And to a daughter of _Venus,_ no less. Didn't he know how judgmental those prissy girls were? Did he even care?

Reyna had been a closeted lesbian for most of her life; at first, it was because she just didn't realize it. That changed when she met Annabeth on Circe's island, and realized the blond demigod was causing her to entertain... _strange_ fantasies, to say the least. When Annabeth had left with the guinea-pig boy, she'd been crushed, having secretly wished she'd stay on the island with her. And after being kidnapped by pirates, Reyna was certain she never wanted to see male genitalia again.

She'd opened up to Hylla about it, one day when the pirates had gone on a raid, and they were training in secret. Hylla had easily explained to her what was going on; she'd had her first crush, that was all. Reyna asked if that was normal, and Hylla assured her she'd also had her first crush around the same age. Hylla didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with her sister's attraction to another girl, so Reyna shrugged it off too, and focused in on her weapons training, putting forth her energies to defeat those pirates and escape...

It was shortly afterward that they met the Hunters of Artemis, and Reyna felt her heartbeat quicken a second time, this time for a Persian beauty named Zoe Nightshade. Unfortunately, the Hunters weren't allowed to have romantic entanglements - even with other girls - though Zoe had seemed repulsed when she'd asked.

And that was when Hylla explained to Reyna, that although there was nothing wrong with her, some people would think there was, and they would treat her differently because of it. Hylla told her that things like gender and sexuality were full of complexities, but that most people acted otherwise. She told Reyna not to worry, because anybody who mattered wouldn't like her any less because she was homosexual, anymore than they'd dislike her because she was Puerto Rican.

It had still hurt, though, and Reyna had recoiled into herself from then on, determined never to experience heartbreak again.

When she came to Camp Jupiter, she'd been afraid to interact with anyone, now that Hylla was gone. Sure, she was good at fighting now, a strong warrior who would make her mother proud. But back then, she still couldn't speak to strangers. She was terrified that it would somehow come out that she... that she wasn't _normal._ After her father had abandoned her and Hylla when they were girls, Reyna had developed a fear of rejection. Now that she'd found a new home, she wasn't sure she'd survive if everyone at camp dismissed her, too.

She'd joined the Fourth Cohort, and things went well, for a time. That was until Octavian, the camp's kid augur, started tormenting her about her "dirty little secret". He blackmailed her into doing all kinds of things (mostly his share of chores); meanwhile, the whole camp just figured that shy little probatio had finally made a friend. Octavian was using her to appear like a nice guy to the masses, befriending the newbie, and as miserable as she was, there was nothing Reyna could do about it without seeming like a jerk. She had to think of a strategy that would get rid of him _and_ keep him silent, but she couldn't think of what to do.

Then, one day, her chance arrived in the shape of Jason Grace, the famous son of Jupiter from the Fifth, and a fellow Octavian-tormentee. He'd been in Reyna's shoes before, he said, and according to him, the best thing to do was just let loose whatever secret binded her to Octavian. "No matter what it is," Jason told her, "There's no way it can be worth trash duty every week."

Reyna wasn't so sure about that, and she said as much. She was adamant, and so Jason eventually let it drop, though it was obvious he didn't want to.

A few weeks later, Jason caught Octavian in the middle of harassing Reyna. From the look on his face, she guessed he'd overheard everything.

"Reyna..." Jason said, mouth hanging slightly open, eyes wide.

Octavian smirked. "See? What did I tell you?" he taunted.

Jason cocked an eyebrow, his expression cautious. "You're a lesbian?"

Octavian started to laugh, like this was the best joke he'd heard all year.

Reyna stared at Jason in horror, looking like she was wishing the ground would open up and swallow her.

_"That's_ your big secret?"

Reyna wished he didn't sound so incredulous. She started to turn away, intending to finish Octavian's chores as agreed, when Jason came up behind her and grabbed her by the shoulder. On instinct, she judo-flipped him.

He let out a strangled gasp when he hit the ground, then quickly threw his hands up in surrender.

"I didn't mean it like... It's _okay,_ Reyna."

He got up slowly, keeping his distance this time.

Reyna's expression changed from anger to surprise to suspicion, all inside of what seemed a single second.

"I promise, _nobody_ at Camp Jupiter is gonna make fun of you for that, except maybe this jerk right here," he said, gesturing toward Octavian.

"You're speaking for everyone, Grace. Y-you can't_ know_ that." Reyna insisted.

"Maybe not," Jason agreed, "But I'm the son of Jupiter, and if anybody _does_ mess with you for it, they'll have _me_ to answer to. I like my odds, Vasquez."

Reyna's expression softened a little. She decided to test the waters; to try, just this once, to reach out to somebody who wasn't Hylla. Maybe she _could_ trust again.

"You're... serious?"

The look she gave him then made Jason feel like she was looking straight through him, instead of at him. He shuffled his feet uncomfortably. Reyna noticed, and tried to tone down her glare.

"You mean it?" she asked, still apprehensive.

Jason looked from her, then to Octavian, and back again. "One hundred percent."

"You'd do that, for... for somebody who's not even in your cohort?"

Jason shrugged. "You're still Roman, aren't you? Even if you _are_ a probatio, you're still one of us. And even if you weren't... you don't deserve to be treated like this. Not for something that stupid. Nobody does. So..."

He met her gaze, and held out his hand. "What do you say? Friends? You don't have to let Octavian run your life, Reyna."

Reyna swallowed. She'd had a real friend maybe all of _never_ in her lifetime, unless you counted Hylla. She wasn't sure she'd be any good at this stuff. But she had to try. She wasn't going to allow herself to be bossed around by Octavian for one more day, let alone forever. She took his hand in hers, and shook it firmly.

"Friends," she agreed.

Octavian stormed off in an angry huff, and went around the camp telling anyone who would listen that the camp's new probatio was a lesbian, just as Reyna knew he would. Strangely, it didn't bother her. Jason kept his word, and anyone who gave her a hard time tended to lose at War Games. _Badly. _Even if that meant he was sabotaging his own cohort. It felt good, having someone on her side, after having spent so much time alone and terrified. Turned out, Jason understood that; he'd been abandoned by his birth family in the woods as a baby. As far as he was concerned, the only family he'd ever had was Lupa, and the people of Camp Jupiter. Now that Reyna was here, he said, she was part of that family. Nothing would change that.

But change, it did.

It wasn't long after they'd both risen to praetor that Reyna faced her first real challenge as camp leader: Jason had gone missing, and little did she know, he'd remain missing for months, before randomly reappearing in a flying trireme with the enemies of Rome. She couldn't have imagined, four years ago, that he'd betray his camp and go questing with the same Greeks who'd tried to destroy their home.

She knew the matter wasn't as black-and-white as all that; she trusted Annabeth's word that the Greeks were good people, just fellow demigods struggling against Gaea. But it still hurt.

It hurt to see Octavian riling up the masses; it hurt to know Jason had chosen the Seven over her; it hurt to know Percy had left with him, and Hylla had returned to the Amazons; it hurt to know there wasn't anyone she could trust within the home she was fighting for. As much as she understood the circumstances within which it had happened, even if she forgave the Greeks when it was over... She could never bring herself to forgive Jason, because her relationship with him was special. He had promised to never let anything happen to her, and he had broken that promise. She'd never look at him the same way again.

When she met Thalia, Jason's big sister, she didn't want to start anything. Really, she didn't. At the time, Thalia wasn't interested either; she was still getting over Luke, a boy who'd died two wars ago when he'd sided with the wrong side. Both girls had hardened their hearts in the time since, determined to never fall in love again. Venus, apparently, had had other ideas, however.

After Gaea's defeat, the camps' kept up their alliance, and the girls kept meeting. It was accidental, at first. Purely coincidental incidents. Entirely innocent.

But, as time went on, and their run-ins became something of a running gag, and they started to greet each other like old neighbours, joking that one was stalking the other... Eventually, their meetings became less random. They came to find out that they had lots of things in common, and one happy summer afternoon, one Thalia had planned to reacquaint Annabeth and Reyna during, she let it slip that she was bisexual.

Not giving her any time to panic, Reyna assured her she didn't mind; she herself wasn't straight, either. Without thinking, Thalia had asked Reyna out on the spot. Turned out, she'd liked Reyna for awhile; she hadn't said anything because the girl reminded her so much of Annabeth, she was sure she'd be straight. Reyna had accepted without any hesitation, and a few months later, it proved to pay off. They'd always had fun on their dates, but that was the first time Thalia had stayed the night, and Reyna had gotten her into bed. It was only the first night of many, but the first time Reyna had slept with Thalia would always be her favorite. It had been the first time she was absolutely_ sure_ someone cared for her; someone who wouldn't betray her, someone who wasn't Hylla.

It was the best feeling in the world.

x-x

When her girlfriend came out of the shower, Reyna was dressed, in a red and purple-striped T-shirt, comfortable jeans, and loose white socks. Her hair was combed through and tied in her signature braid; she looked like someone who'd just finished her homework, not someone who'd just had sex. Not that that would fool Annabeth, she thought with a smirk.

Thalia took notice of her expression, and raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything as she changed back into her standard punk-gothic wear.

There came a sudden sound - a loud banging from the front door - and the two girls exchanged glances, grinning.

Last night's clothes were still littering the floor.


End file.
